Man, you hate to see it. 20-year-old Carson Hocevar had asserted himself as the story of Sunday’s Enjoy Illinois 300 at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway, but it all came undone on lap 92.
Hocevar had worked his way methodically up to the 16th position in the No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, but a brake rotor appeared to explode on the right front of his car, which caused his car to go into the outside wall.
Here is a video replay of the issue from the FS1 race broadcast:
And here is the television broadcast view of Hocevar’s situation: pic.twitter.com/XcXQVS2abt
— Toby Christie (@Toby_Christie) June 4, 2023
An onboard cam shot from the roof of Hocevar’s No. 7 @SpireMotorsport machine of the issue that foiled a great #NASCAR Cup Series debut race: pic.twitter.com/IeWzOHB3Rs
— Toby Christie (@Toby_Christie) June 4, 2023
It was an unfortunate end to the day for Hocevar, who had really opened some eyes, but the important thing for the youngster is that he showed what he was capable of before the mechanical issue ended his day.
Hocevar says he had a great time running the No. 7 car on Sunday, and explains that he hoped to impress as he has no full-time job lined up for 2024 just yet.
“I mean, I thought it was great. I had a blast. Just so thankful for the opportunity,” Hocevar said after retiring from the race. “I don’t have a job for next year, I know Al Niece and Cody Efaw are sitting there and want me to run for them and I’ll forever run a race or however many.”
Hocevar, who looked to be heading toward a potential top-15 in his series debut, will be credited with a last-place finish. While he was impressive, Hocevar hopes the last-place finish on the box score won’t prevent people from giving him opportunities in the future.
“Hopefully that call for a Cup ride won’t be the only one I get in my life,” Hocevar said.
In addition to Hocevar, Chase Briscoe, who was hit with massive penalties from NASCAR this past week due to his No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing team counterfeiting a Next Gen part, collided with part of the debris from Hocevar’s rotor.
As a result, Briscoe was sent behind the wall for repairs.
